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Rebel without a care

May 8, 2012

The midsize two-door Rebel had AMC's most powerful V8, the 390-cid, 340-hp, 430-lb-ft torquer with a functional vacuum-actuated ram air system.

Dollars & Sense

American Motors began an effort in the late 1960s toward a more youthful image by moving into the racing and muscle-car realms. With Hurst's help, the AMX and the SC/Rambler became two of AMC's most memorable cars of that era. The 1970s heralded another memorable muscle car from AMC and Hurst, the 1970 Rebel Machine.

The low-investment 1969 Hurst SC/Rambler gave AMC's muscle-car program a shot in the arm. The Rebel Machine was a similar concept: stuff a big engine into a small car and watch it go. The midsize two-door Rebel had AMC's most powerful V8, the 390-cid, 340-hp, 430-lb-ft torquer with a functional vacuum-actuated ram air system. Behind the 390 came a standard Warner T-10 four-speed manual or an optional Borg-Warner automatic.

Standard gearing was 3.45:1, but 3.91s with a Twin-Grip limited slip were common, and mid-14-second quarter-mile times were possible at 98-mph traps. The car's all-coil suspension, with a four-link setup and sway bar in back, promised good handing. The so-so disc-front, drum-rear brakes were about as good as it got for Detroit in those days.

AMC listened to optiondeprived SC/Rambler owners, offering more comfort and convenience choices for the Machine. The first 300 cars (of 2,326 built only in 1970) came in a striking “Red Streak” paint scheme that combined Frost White with red, white and blue striping. Later Machines came in other unique color schemes.

Viewed in light of notable 1970 General Motors, Ford and Mopar competition, the 340-hp output seemed modest for the 3,700-pound Rebel platform. But the Machine wasn't intended to lead the pack, just to thumb its nose at it. AMC toyed with a more potent engine option, but emissions-certification costs stalled the effort. Aftermarket products easily brought the Machine more into contention.

When owners Rick and Paulette Riley found their Machine at a junkyard in the 1980s, it had modest value in the burgeoning muscle-car market. Rick Riley says he spent more to restore the car than it was worth at the time. Since then, values have skyrocketed for Rebel Machines, the early Red Streak cars being the most sought after.

Today, the Rebel Machine comes off as a typical muscle car, the retro handling and braking easily forgiven in the awe of its cachet. The 390 combined with the four-speed and the 3.91 gears makes for exhilarating acceleration. The T-10 is crisp, and there's nothing quite like rowing through the gears while being pinned in the seat. The Machine corners flat with a bit of understeer and next to no steering feedback. The Rileys' Machine, just out of a long hibernation, seemed stiff at first, but once its blood got flowing, the same thing happened to the driver.